CDC sets up new taskforce
by Lin Yan Qin
05:55 AM Jul 20, 2009
WITH high levels of chronic unemployment and a good number of needy residents living in HDB rental flats, the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) is stepping up efforts to tackle long-term unemployment.
A new employability taskforce – headed by Member of Parliament Sam Tan (Tanjong Pagar GRC) – has been set up to help chronically unemployed rank-and-file workers.
Announcing the taskforce at the appointment ceremony of 87 district councillors yesterday, Central Singapore mayor Zainudin Nordin said the taskforce will have “KPIs” (key performance indicators) of improving the effectiveness of existing measures to help the unemployed, or even introduce new measures where needed.
According to Mr Zainudin, 6 in 10 jobseekers registered with the CDC are aged over 40 and deemed to be not ready for employment – given their “low education attainment, unsuitable skills and family complications”.
“We are quite heavily loaded with workers who are chronically unemployed because of structural unemployment,” he said. “(So) to me, if we are able to put in more effort to look at the issues faced by this group, how can we move them forward?”
The taskforce would also look at helping retrenched PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) retrain and secure new jobs.
The actual composition of the taskforce has not been finalised and Mr Tan said he would spend the next few weeks studying the nitty gritty of existing programmes tackling unemployment.
Said Mr Tan, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary (Trade and Industry and Information, Communication and the Arts): “Generally speaking, I would like to look at improving two things: More effective job matching and improving the employability of workers.”
Beyond identifying job vacancies and opportunities for training, he felt it was important to change the mindset of jobseekers towards retraining.
Mr Zainudin pointed out that the 40 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of those seeking social assistance in the first quarter of this year was the largest surge in such cases among all the CDCs.
And while the number of residents seeking help in the second quarter has dropped 9 per cent as compared to the first three months of the year, he cautioned against a potential second wave of layoffs.
Noting that the Government was also prepared to expand on the schemes already rolled out should the economy continue to fare poorly, Mr Zainudin said the CDC stands ready to deliver assistance to residents where needed.
The CDC is also preparing to deal with longer term challenges: Two other MPs – Ms Denise Phua and Dr Lam Pin Min – in the Central District have been tasked to lead efforts in engaging the elderly, and building a community with closer networks which would be more responsive to the needy.
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